I was having lunch with my wife at a “SanSai Japanese Grill” restaurant the other day (if you haven’t tried SanSai, they are mainly located in California & Missouri - excellent, fast & healthy food).

Laurie decided that she wanted to order a combination plate in a way that didn’t actually exist on the menu.

She ordered at the counter and you could see the cashier’s mind working to decide if it was possible.  Just at the moment that I thought he might say no, his eyes lit up to say “no problem”.

I was very impressed.  So many people instantly jump to a “why we can’t” attitude instead of thinking about “how they can.”

A few minutes later, the owner of the SanSai chain happened to walk into the restaurant.  I relayed this story to him, and he was pleased but not particularly surprised.

He told me that the cashier must have remembered their # 1 operating rule… “the answer is yes - now what is the question?”

These guys get it. They know that a customer’s needs must be catered to. And they know that training matters.

Does your staff know that they need to find ways for their answer to be YES?

Marc Bluestone